Port of Hastings

Liquefaction and Loading

The newly constructed liquefaction, storage and loading facility converted hydrogen gas (H2) to liquefied hydrogen (LH2) using existing commercial technology already in use overseas.

Stage 4. Liquefaction of Hydrogen Gas

Location: Port of Hastings

The liquefaction plant used established technology already in use around the world to convert hydrogen gas into liquefied hydrogen (LH2). The liquefaction process cooled the hydrogen gas to −253°C and reduced it to 1/800th of its gaseous volume.

The plant is the first hydrogen liquefaction facility in Australia for demonstration purposes.

Storage and ship loading

Stage 5. LH2 Storage and Ship Loading

Location: Port of Hastings

Liquefied hydrogen was held in a storage container before being loaded onto a marine carrier for transport to Japan. KHI developed a specialised system to load the liquefied hydrogen onto the carrier.

KHI has more experience than any other company in the storage and transport of liquefied hydrogen. The company built the storage tanks used to hold hydrogen rocket fuel at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Centre. This technology has been in use for more than 30 years.

Previous – Latrobe Valley
Next – The Suiso Frontier

Status of the Port of Hastings plant:

  • Has a 0.25 tonne per day liquefaction capacity.
  • Has a 41m3 LH2 storage container.
  • The specialised marine carrier, Suiso Frontier has a ship tank capacity of 1,250m3 and successfully made the first shipment in early 2022.
  • In Hastings, around 60 direct jobs have been created for the construction phase, while 15 are expected to operate the facility. 200 indirect jobs have been created during both the construction and operation phases.
Port of Hastings FAQ
Hastings Plant